A Clinton/Obama face-off at the Grammys

As it was 50 years ago when the first Grammy trophies were given out to the top achievers in recorded music, there is a lot of rocking and rolling and also rapping in this year’s awards. These, I have found out, are the categories that Pinoys are most interested in. The nominated recordings and later the winners in those categories are the CDs that they are willing to spend their money on and seriously listen to.

Although considered also important, the same does not hold true for Spoken Word Recordings. In fact, I do not even know if these are available locally. Still I think it would be great to get copies of this year’s batch because these are not only interesting, they also boast of one of the most impressive lists of nominees ever assembled. These men and women are all single-handedly doing their part to change the world and the work they do goes from putting the hammer on a nail to start building a house to touching the hearts of many with their words and ideas.

Nominated in the Best Spoken Word Album category are two former presidents, a poet laureate, an award-winning actor and somebody who might next year also be president of the United States. These are Barack Obama for The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream; Maya Angelou for Celebrations; Bill Clinton for Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World; Jimmy Carter for Sunday Morning in Plains: Bringing Peace to a Changing World; and Alan Alda for Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself.

Who among them do you think would show up hoping for a trophy at the Grammys come Feb. 10?

Time now to go on with the list. I had the pop and rock nominees of the 2008 Grammy Awards out last Wednesday.

Here now are the R&B, hip-hop and rap lists, plus a few other categories:

Female R&B Vocal: Me, Myself And I, Beyoncé Knowles; Heaven Sent, Keyshia Cole; Spotlight, Jennifer Hudson; Superwoman, Alicia Keys; Need You Bad, Jazmine Sullivan.

Male R&B Vocal: You’re the Only One, Eric Benet; Take You Down, Chris Brown; Miss Independent, Ne-Yo; Can’t Help But Wait, Trey Songz; Here I Stand, Usher.

Duo or Group R&B Vocal: Ribbon in the Sky, Boyz II Men; Words, Anthony David featuring India.Arie; Stay With Me By The Sea, Al Green feat. John Legend; I’m His Only Woman, Jennifer Hudson feat. Fantasia; Never Give You Up, Raphael Saadiq feat. Stevie Wonder and CJ.

Traditional R&B Vocal: A Change is Gonna Come, Wayne Brady; You’ve Got the Love I Need, Al Green feat. Anthony Hamilton; Baby I Know, Linda Jones with Helen Bruner and Terry Jones; Love That Girl, Raphael Saadiq; In Love with Another Man, Jazmine Sullivan.

Urban Alternative Vocal: Say Goodbye to Love, Kenna; Wanna Be, Maiysha; Be OK’, Chrisette Michele feat. will.i.am; Many Moons, Janelle Monae; Lovin You (Music), Wayna feat. Kokayi.

R&B Song: Beautiful Flower, India.Arie; Hate That I Love You, Rihanna feat. Ne-Yo; No One, Alicia Keys; Teachme, Musiq Soulchild; When I See You, Fantasia.

R&B Album: Funk This, Chaka Khan; Lost & Found, Ledisi; Luvanmusiq, Musiq Soulchild; The Real Thing, Jill Scott; Sex, Love & Pain, Tank.

Contemporary R&B Album: Konvicted, Akon; Just Like You, Keyshia Cole; Fantasia, Fantasia; East Side Story, Emily King; Because of You, Ne-Yo.

Rap Solo: The People, Common; I Get Money, 50 Cent; Show Me What You Got, Jay-Z; Big Things Poppin’ (Do It), T.I.; Stronger, Kanye West.

Rap by a Duo or Group: Southside, Common feat. Kanye West; Make It Rain, Fat Joe feat. Lil Wayne; Party Like a Rockstar, Shop Boyz; Int’l. Players Anthem (I Choose You), UGK feat. Outkast; Better Than I’ve Ever Been, Kanye West, Nas and KRS-One.

Rap/Song Collaboration: I Wanna Love You, Akon feat. Snoop Dogg; Kiss, Kiss, Chris Brown and T. Pain; Let It Go, Keyshia Cole feat. Missy Elliot and Lil Kim; Umbrella, Rihanna feat. Jay-Z; Good Life, Kanye West feat. T-Pain.

Rap Song: Ayo Technology, 50 Cent feat. Justin Timberlake and Timbaland; Big Things Poppin’ (Do It), T.I.; Can’t Tell Me Nothing, Kanye West; Crank That (Soulja Boy), Soulja Boy Tell’Em; Good Life, Kanye West feat. T-Pain.

Rap Album: Finding Forever, Common; Kingdom Come, Jay-Z; Hip Hop is Dead, Nas; T.I. vs T.I.P., T.I.; Graduation, Kanye West.

Musical Show Album: A Chorus Line; Company; Grey Gardens; Spring Awakening; West Side Story.

Compilation Soundtrack Album: Across the Universe; Dreamgirls; Hairspray; Love; Once.

Score Soundtrack Album: Babel; Blood Diamond; The Departed; Happy Feet; Pan’s Labyrinth; Ratatouille.

Song Written for a Motion Picture, TV or other Visual Media: Falling Slowly, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova from Once; Guaranteed, Eddie Vedder from Into the Wild; Love You I Do, Jennifer Hudson from Dreamgirls; The Song of the Heart, Prince from Happy Feet; You Know My Name, Chris Cornell from Casino Royale.

Short Form Music Video: God’s Gonna Cut You Down, Johnny Cash; 1234, Feist; Gone Daddy Gone, Gnarls Barkley; D.A.N.C.E., Justice; Typical, Mute Math.

Long Form Music Video: Live & Loud at the Filmore, Dierks Bentley; Trapped in the Closet Chapters 13-22, R. Kelly; The Confessions Tour, Madonna; 10 Days Out- Blues from the Backroads, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Various Artists; Liberacion — The Songs of the New Cuban Underground, Various Artists.

The members of the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences tell us, are the best from the harvest and they set the standards by which all others will be measured for that particular year. Take note, Grammy voters are Academy members. Unlike the local Awit which is also supposed to be the music industry awards, the Grammys do not rely on text votes to select its winners.